Anak-Anak
Srikandi(Children of Srikandi)

The mythical figure of Srikandi, a female figure from the Indian
Mahabharata epic that changes gender to live and fight as an
equal among men, is the inspiration and role model for this
anthology of stories on the state of alternate sexualities in
Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in
the world. The result is eight highly personal and profound
perspectives on lesbian, bisexual and trans-identity life in
Islamic Indonesia.

View the Trailer:

Long synopsis:

In CHILDREN OF SRIKANDI, participants collectively worked as
crew members or actresses in each other’s film, with individual
stories ranging from observational documentary and concept art
to personal essay. We see that change is possible on all levels
of the film: personal, political, and formal. Transformation
is always inscribed in the narrative; form and identity are
fluid; perspectives are shifted.

The moving individual stories are interwoven with the tale
of Srikandi, an ancient mythological character of the Mahabharata
and well-known Indian epic, which is still frequently used in
the traditional Javanese shadow puppet theatre plays (wayang
kulit). Srikandi is neither man nor woman, moving fluidly between
both genders. When she falls in love with a woman, she has to
understand that the only way to survive is to become a “female
warrior”. This story reminds us that same-sex love and
gender variety were not imported from the west but in fact form
a deep and ancient aspect of Indonesian society.
Soleh (25), the puppeteer and Anik (59), the singer, are both
male to female transgendered people that have worked for many
years as wayang kulit performers in Surabaya, East Java. In
the film, Srikandi is embodied and represented by them as an
inverted mirror image where the narrative of the wayang kulit
moves from fiction to documentary and from the past into the
present.

CHILDREN OF SRIKANDI started with a workshop which lead to
a collaborative film project reflecting the directors’
lived experiences as queer women in Indonesia and at the same
time provides them with the means for filmic self-representation.
Over a period of two years and under the guidance of filmmakers
Angelika Levi and Laura Coppens, the filmmaking became a truly
collective act.

what
they're saying

"As stated on its website, CHILDREN OF SRIKANDI is “the first film by queer women about queer women from Indonesia.” In addition to the crucial issues addressed… the transnational collaborative processes should be underlined as they would potentially lead to more affiliations and exchanges on gender and sexuality issues in a wider cinematic and social landscape.

The film’s tagline, “breaking the code of silence,” is not an overstatement since silence was (and is still) pervasive. Hence, despite the limited space for exploration, the filmmakers have courageously presented their views on various issues, ranging from the memory of growing up as queer, the tension with their families and religion, and confining labels given in the society (as well as within their own lesbian circles). The value of CHILDREN OF SRIKANDI lies in its process, of “coming out” as a collective, and within it filmmakers help one another as actors and collaborators."

Intan Paramaditha, Pacific Affairs: Volume 86, No. 4 – December 2013

“CHILDREN OF SRIKANDI adds
an incredibly valuable perspective to anyone interested
in women's issues and queer issues in Southeast Asia.
Since the film looks at a part of Indonesian life and
society that is often hidden from view, it is an eye-opening
experience and very helpful in expanding our discussions
about religion, identity and private life. “

"A fabulous viewing/seeing/ and
thinking of the complexities and fluidities of women's
bodies and identities across cultural borders. An important
and courageous sharing for us all as we attempt to live
peacefully and newly across this globe."

"CHILDREN OF SRIKANDI -
collaborative, ethnographically rich, and theoretically
sophisticated - is visual anthropology at its very best!
Conceived of and filmed by eight queer Indonesians, Children
of Srikandi provides intimate auto-ethnographic insights
into the politics, predicaments, and possibilities of
queer life in post-authoritarian Indonesia. Beautifully
shot and edited, the film alternates between personal
stories of daily lives and broader themes of politics,
religion, and nation. This film should be required viewing
forundergraduate and graduate courses in cultural anthropology,
gender and sexuality studies, film/media studies and Asian
studies."

“Intercut with evocative Indonesian
shadow theatre and poetic stories, CHILDREN OF SRIKANDI
is a poignant film which explores gender, sexuality, class
and religiosity through the voices of queer women in Indonesia.
Using the mythological figure of Srikandi as a beacon
for transgendered people we are reminded of the fluidity
of gender through art and compelling personal narratives.
“

“CHILDREN OF SRIKANDI is
the exact film that should emerge from contemporary queer
Indonesia, where homosexuality is technically legal yet
remains taboo. With its eight chapters each shot in a
different mode, by eight different first-time filmmakers,
but connected through the traditional wayang kulit (shadow
theater), CHILDREN OF SRIKANDI creatively and articulately
engages the complexity and dynamism of Indonesians’
attitudes toward questions of gender, sexuality, kinship,
and embodiment.

Brian Bergen-Aurand Assistant
Professor English and Film School of Humanities and Social
Sciences Nanyang Technological University

“This film gives a unique and
moving insight into the lives and dreams of members of one
of the most abjected groups in Indonesia, young lesbian
women. Telling their own stories, of love and pain, they
demonstrate their courage and perseverance. “